


On a Clear Night

by Duck_Life



Series: X-Men Shorties [16]
Category: X-Force (Comics)
Genre: Clones, Friendship, Gen, Protoplasmic Goo Replicas, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 05:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18844183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: He's not really Bobby. But then again, she's not quite herself these days, either.





	On a Clear Night

“We’ve got Gyrich’s location,” Moonstar says, coming to stand beside Reignfire on the outcropping of stone. This island makes a good base. Illyana took her here once, when she needed to get away from the mansion and Dani had tagged along. It stood out to her as a good idea for the MLF’s base, and she’d kept it in her mind when Locus teleported them. “We should be ready to make a move tomorrow.”

“Good,” Reignfire says, his voice gravelly. So far, she hasn’t been able to get a read on him, what he’s doing here, what his goals are. That’s partly because she’s been keeping to herself, making sure that the MLF trusts her— as much as this band of misfits  _ can _ trust anyone. “That… man… isn’t going to stop spreading anti-mutant hate out of the goodness of his heart. We need to stop him.”

“I… yeah,” Moonstar says, squaring her jaw. It’s times like this it helps to have the mask hiding her expressions. When she joined the MLF, she didn’t think she was signing up to be complicit in a murder. (Though, she can’t say she’ll weep for Henry Peter Gyrich.) “You’re right.”

Reignfire hums. Then he says, “How are you, Dani?”

Her heart skids to a stop. She’s  _ sure _ she hasn’t shared her first name with anyone. “Do you know me?”

“We were friends once,” he says, somehow sounding wistful, sounding sad beneath the constant hum of power he gives off. “We were teammates.”

It’s like getting kicked in the nose. “... Bobby?”

“A piece of him,” Reignfire says. “Recreated and distorted, but… yes, in some ways. Yes.” They stand there, feeling the years and the changes stretch between them. “Are you going to tell SHIELD?”

Moonstar coughs. “Why would I?”

“I share a lot with the Roberto da Costa you remember,” he says, “but foolishness and naiveté aren’t among those traits. You didn’t come to us with the purest of intentions.”

Her first mission and she’s already blown her cover. “Are you going to tell the others?”

“No,” he says. “I want you around. If the others knew the truth, they wouldn’t. Besides, when push comes to shove, I know where your loyalties lie, and they aren’t with the government.” He hesitates, then turns to her. “Will you tell the rest of the team about me?”

Moonstar shakes her head. “You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours.” 

“Sounds fair.”

Awkward and stilted, but somehow genuine, Reignfire puts a hand on her shoulder. And in all the ways that count, they aren’t themselves. The two of them have been through life and death in more than the literal sense. But somehow, overlooking the sea in their shared silence, they both feel a little more like the people they remember being. 

 


End file.
